Reviews roundup ~ Bonfire ~ Lucid Planet ~ The Paramount Trip ~ Obsolem

Reviews roundup ~ Bonfire ~ Lucid Planet ~ The Paramount Trip ~ Obsolem

BONFIRE
Roots (Almost Unplugged)
AFM

I was never the biggest Bonfire fan. I’m old enough to remember 1987* so know my way around 80s melodic rock. *remembering is pushing it a bit as it was a decade largely composed of booze and speed.

But Bonfire are good at what they do. Which is 80s melodic rock. Bandleader Hans Ziller has rarely deviated from the template he set up many years back and this is no exception. After all, how many bands have gone down the acoustic root when they’re starting to knock on a bit. I must admit I usually regard these projects as space fillers. Nice to listen to once while the band try to get their mojo back. Bonfire have already done the re-recording thing on “Pearls” in 2016 and they did the covers album in 2018. So I guess the acoustic album was the only thing left.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some really good tunes here. And newish vocalist Alexx Stahl shows what a really good voice he has as the nature of this beast gives him plenty of room to shine. But, man, there’s a lot of it. 24 tracks to be exact. And with the best will in the world that’s too many. Granted, they have bunged on 5 new songs to make sure that the Bonfire faithful buy it. Which is fair enough as, like most bands, Bonfire make their money on the road. It is interesting to hear Stahl taking on tunes from the Claus Lessmann years and he does a grand job on numbers like ‘Price of Lovin’ You’ and ‘Who’s Fooling Who’. Of the new songs, ‘Wolfmen’ is probably the best of the bunch, as it packs more of a punch.

There’s no doubt that fans will really enjoy this but it’s not really one for the casual passer-by.

http://bonfire.de/

LUCID PLANET
Lucid Planet II
independent

Well this was a good one. Lucid Planet from the mythical continent of Australasia released their debut in 2015. That one passed me by although according to that there internet it was a decent prog metal offering. Well this one isn’t.

Prog metal that is. The five years that have passed seem to have involved Lucid Planet either a) investigating all the music or b) eating all the shrooms.

Because this one ranges far and wide taking in prog, psych, ambient, folk and all points North, South, East and West. It’s a diverse one, no bones about it. They don’t say enough about it but there does seem to be a conceptual strand running though things. Back in the day, before hippies were outlawed, I would have been allowed to talk about third eyes, dark hidden pathways, alternate symbiosis and all sorts of hedgerow wizardry.

But I’m not so will have to stick with the ebbs and flows of the harder edged rock sounds, the interplay with acoustic and traditional instrumentation and the odd manner in which it makes me think of the many Nordic bands who are exploring their history in a timeless manner. Hands up, I’m not the biggest fan of the male vocals but a fair few of the songs have guest / harmony vocals from one Jade Alice and that is a decision I heartily agree with. There’s nothing straightforward here and just when you think you’re getting comfortable they throw you for a loop. At times it seems as though the band have spent some time in the company of Astralasia and their ilk while holding on to their rock roots.

There aren’t any duffers here but the two tunes that really do take you on a journey into time and space are ‘ Organic Hard Drive’ and ‘Zenith’, songs that actually take your breath away. That’s a verra rare thing nowadays, especially when you’ve heard as many songs as I have. An absolute gem, this is essential listening for those who like to boil the leaves of the hellebore.

https://lucidplanet.bandcamp.com/music

THE PARAMOUNT TRIP
Moment In Time
Dark Street Records

The Paramount Trip are a new band but I think it’s safe to say that the assorted members could be described as well seasoned.

Formed in 2018 in Bristol by members of the bands Racing Mars and Trash Casino (nope, me neither), it would appear that those bands took a harder approach to things while the songs on offer here take a more melodic approach to things. So Chris Finn, bass and Andy Newey, guitar decided they needed a new home. Enter drummer and keyboard player Rich Denning and then singer-songwriter Tony Barrett Powell and you have The Paramount Trip.

It’s not classic melodic rock as they have a more indie approach to things but one that they fuse some really good arrangements to. It’s the moody numbers that work best with ‘Closer’ a sure fire hit amongst Coldplay fans of a certain vintage. Another song that would work well on the radiogram is ‘Amelie’ while the title track goes all angular and eighties spiky indie rock.

It’s not all sweetness and light though as ‘Scars’ will attest while the closing ‘Book Of Days’ sees them bearing a surprising resemblance to Spear of Destiny. Probably just me, though. Not something I would go out of my way to listen to but for people who like This Sort Of Thing then this is the sort of Thing They Will Like.

https://theparamounttrip.bandcamp.com/releases

OBSOLEM
Between Scylla and Charybdis
independent

The lesser of two evils. Caught between the Devil and the dark blue sea. Between Scylla and Charybdis. So mote it be. The sea monsters from the Strait of Messina are well known in the world of Greek mythology as your Odysseus and your Jason will attest.

Guitarist Greg Françoise seems a cheery sort as this album has its roots in a solo project where he imagined a world that is dehumanising itself and the machines become more human than humans. After writing a whole pile of songs the solo project evolved into a collaborative prog rock ensemble with Leia Oo (vocals), Peter Coutouly (bass) and Franck Schaak (drums) the key members.

It’s ridiculously good. It’s modern prog with nods to industrial, dark film scoring and hard synths. The best example is ‘Narcisse’, a song I am utterly obsessed with. And, yes, I get the irony. The keyboards are crucial on this record whether it be synths or gliding piano underscores. Meanwhile the guitar work is based on some of David Gilmours better days.

‘Vertigo’ is probably the most adventurous song on an album chock full of adventure. It twists and turns its way inside you until the voices on the record become voices in your head. And just when you’ve given yourself over to it, it rawks! Bastard.

An immense album I’m delighted to have become, if not friends, then a wary acquaintance of.

https://obsolem.bandcamp.com/releases

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